1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle control system intended to provide control such that a plurality of vehicles will not collide.
2. Description of the Related Art
Operating a plurality of vehicles in an unattended manner, such as dump trucks carrying ores excavated at open pit mines for example, requires to provide control such that vehicle will not come into contact with each other. Especially, when vehicles pass each other on a two-lane road with no center median, if the vehicle traveling on one lane strays onto the other lane (the opposite lane), the straying vehicle may touch the vehicle on the other lane. Accordingly, the prevention of the contact between vehicles passing each other has been an important issue.
Conventional methods of preventing the contact at passing include one in which collision is avoided by steering control by detecting the oncoming vehicle through an on-board external sensor and a method in which a control station is arranged for monitoring the movements of a plurality of vehicles in wireless communication, the control station giving information such as the position of the oncoming vehicle at the time of passing, thereby supporting safe passing.
JP No. 3424834 discloses a technology in which the control station grasps the self-location of each of the vehicles in a wireless manner and transmits information for identifying an vehicle that is expected to pass a mate vehicle to the identifying vehicle, each of these vehicles identifying each other by transmitting this information by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, thereby understanding the position of the mate vehicle. This patent also discloses a technology in which both vehicles concerned reduce the speed thereof in a segment in which the vehicles are expected to pass each other.
Moreover, JP No. 3458958 discloses a technology in which each of the vehicles has an obstacle sensor based on radio or the like and, if the approaching of another vehicle is detected through this obstacle sensor, a host vehicle pulls over to a berm to let the oncoming vehicle pass.